Did you get everything you wanted?

The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

Now that the holidays are over, did you get everything that you wanted? Did you receive all the stuff that was on your list for Santa? Did you get to spend time with the people who matter most to you?  Are you content as we move into a bright new year?  Or were the holidays disappointing?  Did you get stuff that will be exchanged or regifted?  Did travel problems or scheduling conflicts prevent you from having time with someone special?  As you look back on the last couple of weeks, do you feel like saying “Bah, humbug”?

The simple truth is that no one ever gets everything they want.  There will always be a gift that makes you scratch your head and wonder what the giver was thinking.  There will always be things on your wish list that are too expensive or hard to find.  There will always be unexpected situations that mess up your plans.  There will always be frustrations and disappointments, especially when we place such high expectations on the holiday season.

If Christmas 2012 left you feeling somewhat let down, perhaps your focus was on the wrong things.  Despite what retailers say, Christmas is not about finding the perfect gift.  Despite what holiday programs claim, Christmas is not about special times that bring us closer to each other.  Christmas is about God’s loving care.  Christmas is about God seeing that we are angry and confused, scared and lonely.  Christmas is about God sending His Son to give peace to those who are suffering from guilt, shine light into hearts which are shrouded in darkness, and offer hope to those who are lost in despair.  That first Christmas long ago gave us Jesus Christ, the man whose death on a cross would change everything forever. 

Strip Christmas down to its bare essence, and you have the promise of God’s love given life and breath in the little body of a newborn child.  Forget all the other stuff—God’s Son among us is what Christmas is all about.  God entering our lives and getting dirty as He works to make everything better—that’s a gift that never disappoints.  Thanks to Christmas, 2013 can be a chance to start over with a whole new perspective on life.  All you need is Jesus—and thanks to Christmas, you’ve got Him!